1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the art of cutting vegetable products, and more particularly relates to a device for cutting optimally sized vegetable and fruit pieces.
2. Background Information
This specification is presented in the context of cutting potatoes into optimally sized pieces. However it is to be understood that the apparatus described and claimed herein is capable of use with a variety of vegetable and fruit products, including, but not limited to, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, pineapples, along with a host of other fruits and vegetables.
In commercial potato processing, potatoes are received into a receiving area where they are cleaned to remove excess dirt and rocks. Then, through a series of processes these potatoes are converted from raw potatoes into potato products having various desired attributes.
Certain varieties and sizes of potatoes are better suited for certain types of commercial applications. One of the most common and valuable potato products is called xe2x80x9cfrench fryxe2x80x9d potatoes. French-fries are made by a process, wherein washed potatoes are deposited into a steam cooker where the outsides of the potatoes are steamed and the potato skins are removed. These potatoes are then carried within an aqueous solution through tubing to a cutter head wherein the force of the fluid stream pushes the potatoes through the cutter head. As a result, the potatoes are cut into pieces having a desired shape or design according to the specifications and configuration of the blades on the cutter head. A more complete description of this process is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,503, the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The cutter head assembly, however, only has the ability to make cuts in the potato in one direction. Thus a 3-inch potato will yield 3-inch pieces, a 4-inch potato will yield 4-inch pieces and a 10-inch potato will yield 10-inch pieces, or worse, some 1-inch pieces and a plurality of randomly sized broken potato pieces.
Under current market conditions, the ideal length for french-fries after processing through the cutter head is about four inches (4xe2x80x3). However, the varieties of potatoes that have the attributes best suited for french fries, such as Russet Burbanks, Nor-Golds, Rangers, and Shepodys, often grow to a length substantially larger than four inches (4xe2x80x3). As a result, in order to obtain optimal length potato pieces, the potatoes must be sorted or cut before entering into the french fry making apparatus.
One method for obtaining ideal sized potato pieces is to accept only 4-inch potatoes from the growers. This is impracticable, because these varieties having the desired characteristics for storage, cooking, texture, and water content generally grow longer than 4 inches. Furthermore, inherent natural differences prevent all potatoes from being one standard size.
Processors attempt to reduce the number of non-optimally sized potatoes by rejecting or paying lower prices for loads from producers that contain too great a number of oversized potatoes. In as much as most producers do this, the price of optimally sized potatoes is generally greater than the price of non-standard sized ones. The fewer non-standard sized potatoes that exist in a load of potatoes, the greater the price of that load. However, even when attempting to have all standard sized potatoes by paying a higher price, non-standard sized potatoes will be processed. Furthermore, the cost of obtaining such potatoes could prove to be commercially impracticable.
Another method for obtaining ideal sized potatoes is to mechanically cut all of the potatoes to one length such as four inches (4xe2x80x3). However, by engaging in such a method, the cut off portions of the potato which are not four inches (4xe2x80x3), are either separated and wasted, resulting in decreased efficiency and increased costs, or mixed with the ideal length cut potatoes and also processed. If they are processed as french fries, the result is an increased number of non-standard, non-ideal, therefore less valuable french fries. If they are separated and either disposed of or passed along for further processing, waste will result or increased costs will be incurred.
Another method for obtaining ideal sized potatoes is to employing people to manually view and cut the potatoes into as many optimally sized pieces. This process is slow and expensive.
Attempts have been made in the past to construct machines which cut oversized potatoes in half, most of which have been technically successful, to one degree or another, in achieving this goal. However, these methods have been commercially unsuccessful because of the inevitable result that some half-pieces will be too short, and others too long.
In as much as processors attempt to reduce the number of non-optimally sized potatoes by rejecting or paying lower prices for loads from producers that contain too great a number of oversized potatoes, the price of optimally sized potatoes is greater than the price of potatoes of a non-standard size. A processor with the ability to process large potatoes by cutting them into optimally sized pieces would have an advantage over its competitors. That processor could buy non-ideally sized potatoes at a decreased price from the producer, process these potatoes with less waste and obtain a premium product for which they could obtain a better price. A competitor, to obtain the same result, would have to pay the premium price for smaller potatoes, cut these potatoes, and waste the non-ideal sized potato pieces. The cost to such a competitor would place it at a significant disadvantage to the processor who could obtain ideally sized product.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and means for cutting optimally sized fruit and vegetable pieces. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for cutting optimally sized fruit and vegetable pieces from non-standard sized fruit and vegetables in a mechanized environment. It is also an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for cutting optimally sized potato pieces from non-standard sized potatoes.
These objects are achieved using an apparatus for cutting optimally sized fruit and vegetable pieces, such as potatoes, that is made of a frame, a dump chute, a trough, a conveyor having paddles forming paddle pockets, a drive means, at least one sensor, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a cutter assembly. The dump chute with a heel stop is pivotally connected to the frame and receives potatoes and loads them singly on to a conveyor within a paddle pocket defined by two paddles disposed along the conveyor, and located within said trough. The drive means moves the conveyor, which then advances the potatoes from the dump chute toward the cutter.
As the potatoes move along the trough, the sensor determines the first and second ends of the potato and inputs this information to the PLC. This PLC has a human interactive component for selecting the criteria to be used in selecting the dimensions of the desired potato pieces to be obtained. The PLC receives the information from the sensors, applies an algorithm based upon pre-selected dimensions to be obtained and determines the number and sizes of the pieces that the potato should be cut into to achieve the optimal results based upon the pre-selected criteria. This information is then passed to the cutter.
The cutter receives input from the programmable logic controller. Then, it makes the directed number of cuts necessary to obtain the predetermined number of optimally sized potato pieces. The potato pieces then pass along to other areas for further processing.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.